Isabella's Giraffe Club is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization committed to providing emotional and edcational support for parents with infants in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. They sponsor events and projects to maintain and improve the quality of care and caring provided to parents and families. We strive to facilitate and enhance communication and mutual understanding of roles and relationships between families and healthcare workers.

Bereavement Support: They also offer bereavement programs and support groups focusing on parents who have had a baby pass from SUID and for anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one.

Each year, in communities all across the country teams of families, friends, and co-workers come together to form teams to raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk to bring help and hope to people battling blood cancers. Funds are used for:

 Lifesaving blood cancer research
 Free educational materials and events for patients and their families
 Local programs such as Family Support Groups and First Connection, a peer-to-peer counseling program

I served as team captain for a group of National American Miss participants and their families and friends. As team captain, I recruited walkers and managed the raising of funds. The preparation of this event spanned the course of 2 months as I assisted volunteers in getting registered and preparing for the event.

Our team raised funds in two ways. First, each person who registered for the walk contributed a minimum of $25. Second, our team, “Kansas Royalty and Friends”, participated in the pre-walk carnival event by running a booth that provided tattoos, face painting and bubble games. Donations were accepted at our booth and were combined with our registration fees allowing us to exceed our goal of raising $1000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This event was a great opportunity to not only help others, but also to come together with friends and family and celebrate the blessings in each of our own lives.

July 27, 2012

On September 17, 2011 I volunteered at the Walk to Beat the Clock for Cervical Cancer. This volunteer work was an amazing experience where I helped others and learned a lot at the same time. When I got there, I first helped pack goodie bags for the runners. In the goodie bag was a pamphlet with information about cervical cancer, a pen and a button. When I finished that, I helped pass out signs to the teams that were walking. Next, I helped put certificates and awards together for those who went beyond the expectations and raised over $1,000.00 for cervical cancer. Once the walk began, I cheered for the runners and walkers! I screamed and yelled so much that I lost my voice the next day! When the walk was over, I passed out waters and healthy snacks to those who participated. When the Closing Ceremony started, I passed out awards and certificates. Volunteering at the Tamika and Friends Walk to Beat the Clock was fantastic and I am very grateful to have been able to help out and have that opportunity. Every hour a woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer and every 2 ½ hours a woman dies. These astonishing facts are hard to hear, but with help we can beat the clock!

July 26, 2012

For three months I collected clothes, canned goods, and hygiene products from members of my community, family, and friends. After I received a generous amount of donations I donated everything to the Bridgeport Rescue Mission. The mission donated my items to less fortunate families and the homeless. The staff at the mission told me my donations were greatly appreciated. It is very important to me to stay involved with community service, and I love helping out whenever I can.

July 25, 2012

I had a wonderful time serving with the Dollhouse Festival. This is a non-profit organization. All the donations are donated to the Utah County Children s Justice Center services for abused children and families in our community. I had served this great charity with my sister queens. We had went early to set up and to place tables and things for the Mad Hatter Tea Party. We greeted the kids and help with tickets. We also served food and dessert. We had a great time with those kids!!

July 24, 2012

As a sideline supporter at the Race for the Cure held in Colorado on October 1, 2011, I cheered as chanted as the runners came through the finish-line. We played a very important role cheering the runners because we gave everyone that extra support they needed to make it through the finish-line. It was also very inspirational to cheer for the cancer survivors as they crossed the finish-line. I also helped by providing water to the cancer survivors as they stood in line to be presented after their run.

July 20, 2012

There are 420,000 foster care children in the United States, and 10,000 of those are in the state of Washington. When I became the 2011 Miss Washington Jr. Pre Teen Queen, I was excited to use my title to bring more awareness to this issue. I was honored to participate in two amazing events in my short reign. I first participated in an event with City Ministries Child Placement Agency and the Rose Hill Cottages foster care community. I helped with crafts, read stories, played games and handed out books and stuffed animals to all the kids! What a blast! Secondly, I volunteered at the "Wait No More" conference that was an effort to get permanent placement for over a 1000 legally free kids into foster-adoptive families. I greeted over 700 people at the doors and loved participating in an event that changed the lives of hundreds of kids!

CASA (which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate) is an advocacy program that provides a Court-Appointed advocate to children who are in the Court System, through no fault of their own. I chose to volunteer at CASA because of my personal experiences with foster children who are my friends at school and a very special foster child who grew up to be my mother. These children suffer many different kinds of abuse and neglect. An advocate appointed to them through the CASA program meets with them on a regular basis providing support, comfort, and a shoulder to lean on during their difficult time in the system, as well as being their voice in Court. All of the advocates appointed to these children are volunteers who have chosen to help make the life of a child better. Many advocates continue their nurturing, supportive relationship with these children long after their Court appointment is over. They become role models and "second parents" to these children, teaching them many important life lessons and values that will help them grow into responsible, productive citizens.

As a CASA volunteer I am responsible for helping construct the training packets provided at the Advocacy Trainings, mailing notices and monthly newsletters, updating the CASA Facebook page and website, and helping set up, work at, and clean up the yearly Gala fundraiser that is the main financial support of this program. As a young person in my community I am blessed to be afforded the opportunity to support such a worthy cause with my time every week.

July 18, 2012

My responsibility is to increase awareness of bullying through social media.
I am working to increase awareness of bullying through the use of social media including facbook, twitter and youtube. Recently, I created a web series for No Bully where I worked with those who have been affected, interviewing and producing videos, giving others a chance for their voices to be heard. citizens.

Every week I volunteer at Celebrate Recovery's children's outreach. I work with kids of all ages who have come from broken homes and homes where parents are highly addicted to drugs, alcohol, are in jail or worse. We provide them with a safe loving environment where they are free to express their feelings and learn about the bible. We do many activities of which many I personally coordinate like art projects, games, lessons and much more. I love this job because it brings me satisfaction as a person to be able to be a solid and safe person in their lives. I have been working here for two and a half years and plan to stay there as long as God allows as it is so rewarding and fun.

Avnet Inc. was a sponsor for the Salvation Army of Phoenix Christmas Project. Employees donated money to purchase Christmas gifts for needy children. Volunteers were needed to shop for the children's Christmas List items. I donated eight hours of my time shopping for over 40 children. With the money donated, I purchase items for children ages from 18 months to ten years old. Item included: jewelry, toy cars, clothes, games, bikes, and dolls. After we individually wrapped the gifts and returned them to Avnet distributed them to the Salvation Army.

July 12, 2012

Jordan Fowler, Miss National American Miss California Teen 2011 is currently filming Season Four and her fourth season as a television host on Eco-Company, an national TV show on a quest to find answers. Eco Company is hosted by a dynamic group of teens who combine their natural curiosity with their enthusiasm to preserve the planet they will inherit. Every week Eco Company explores all aspects of being green and understanding how we impact our world. From reporting on the latest technologies in energy, recycling, conservation and organics to sharing the stories of young people making a positive impact on the environment. In addition every week Eco Company provides a practical tip that teens and people of all ages can use in their daily lives. Find out where Eco Company is airing near you at www.eco-company.tv and make Eco Company appointment viewing in your house!

July 11, 2012

The New Age of Bullying, 2 annual conference presented information on when bullying becomes harassment and how to address the cycle of bullying in the classroom, cyberbullying and other dangers of new techonology. I sat along side 6 other teens on a panel, spoke on the effects of bullying and answered questions from teachers and parents on how it can affect children long term.

The Santa Fe Springs, California Relay for Life Sponsored by the American Cancer Society takes place every September. This is an overnight team event to raise awareness of cancer while simultaneously raising funds to help in the search for a cure. Each team member is asked to commit to raising at least $100.00 in donations and take their turn walking around the track throughout the 24 hour event. This event is full of fun and is a great opportunity for me and my family to serve our community. The event features a cancer survivor’s luncheon for those throughout our community to celebrate their lives.

Following the luncheon the relay will start with the releasing of Doves and the survivors waking the first lap. During the event our team will run the Children’ Corner, assisting children with arts & crafts, face painting and hair coloring. Together as a team we will make luminary bags each bearing the name of someone who has battled cancer, celebrating cancer survivors, and honoring and remembering someone who has been lost to this disease. These bags will line the track during the event and be lit during the Luminary Ceremony. This ceremony starts with traditional bagpipes and all teams and volunteers walking the track in silent to honor our love ones named on the luminaries.

Why I relay; I relay so a cancer patient has a place to stay when they need to travel away from home for treatment. So a cancer patient has a ride to treatment, and a volunteer cosmetologist is able to teach a cancer patient how to care for their changing skin and hair with donated cosmetics. So a breast cancer patient has someone to talk to that knows how they feel. I relay for every mother, father, sister, brother, and every one of our love ones that are battling cancer. I relay because others before me have taken the time to relay, and without their caring I may have lost my grandmother to this disease. I relay to honor the people in my family that lost their lives to this disease and that I miss every day.

The bible teaches us Even A Child Is Known By His Doing, Whether His Work Be Pure, And Whether It Be Right, PROVERBS 20:11.This tells us that no matter how young we are we need to take an active role in caring for each other. This will be the eight year I have participated in this project knowing in my heart without the money for research my grandmother and many others would have lost their fight. Each step we take brings us closer to finding a cure, this I hope to see in my life time. As a relay for life team member we have been able to raise between $8000.00 and 14,000.00 yearly in durations during our Santa Fe Springs Relay. My commitment to community service is something my father has instilled in me through his community service and volunteer work with many organization. He also has given the gift of life as a bone marrow donor this year, and shown me the true meaning of service to others.

July 9, 2012

The Oakland Ice Center's Special Skater Program invites people of all ages with mental or physical challenges to experience the freedom of skating -- with the help of chairs, wheelchairs and walkers. The Program helps skaters improve balance and coordination while also allowing them to have fun, meet new friends and gain a sense of accomplishment. Skaters ages 4 to adult join in on every Friday evening from 5:00 – 5:45 pm, for skating and games like mini Olympics, kite flying on the ice, and broomball. Ice sleds are also available for skaters with impaired lower-limb mobility.
Working both one-on-one and with groups.

Dante Ricks is both a skate instructor and friend to special needs kids with disabilities from autism to cerebral palsy, who don't have a lot of opportunities for physical recreation. She helps them have fun and exercise and teaches good sportsmanship. Dante has worked in this program for her whole career on the ice. She says she's in it for the hugs and smiles.

As stated prior, my goal at RCDAS is to find animals the best and most loving homes possible. In addition to this though, I decided to expand my knowledge and skills and branch out to other areas within the shelter. One of the most important jobs is making sure that all the animals get proper care and exercise. In the early mornings, I clean both dog and cat kennels and also walk and socialize dogs and cats. By mid morning, the shelter is open to the public, and I can start officially adopting out both dogs and cats. This is one of my favorite parts of volunteering! Uniting a family and pet together is extremely heart warming and fills me with joy every time I do it! Another fun job at the shelter is gardening. Not only is it relaxing, but if you harvest any fruits or vegetables, you can visit the barn and feed the pigs your pickings!

Finally, I’d like to talk about an area of the shelter that I find especially near and dear to my heart, the clinic. Being a medical student, I am very interested in surgical work, so when I was offered a position helping in the clinic I became very excited. In the clinic, not only do I get to aid animals, but I also get hands on training and the opportunity to acquire a Veterinarian Technician License! This to me is simply amazing, because this is the type of work I will be conducting after graduation. Overall, volunteering at RCDAS has been an absolute blessing and I have had some of my greatest memories and experiences there. I hope to become a docent volunteer there someday, so I can continue my service towards all the animals that need it most.

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NAM Testimonials

Aug 30 - So National American Miss was successful and soooooo fun. I met so many new people and made so many new friends. Thanks so much to all of my supporters! I love you all and special shout out to @ellabella_182 and @halzcarpenter. See you soon Cali? #fingerscrossed. ~Noelle

Aug 23 - We love being part of the NAM family and our 4 year old daughter will begin competing with her sister next year! The experience and friends made are amazing! Thank you for everything you do for all of the young girls that have been part of the NAM family. ~Sonya

Feb 25 - Thanks for allowing me to participate, I have already given 4 presentations in class without being nervous for the first time ever! Cant wait for next year!! ~ Abby W.

Jan 24 - As a parent, I would say the program is so positive and really builds self confidence and goal setting. ~April S.

Jan 15 - Hello! I have been a part of NAM for three years now, and just went to nationals this year. I love this pageant with my entire heart! ~Stephanie B.

Dec 29 - During 2012, one of my dreams came true. I started my pageant adventure with National American Miss in 2006 But of course, the journey did not stop there! After meeting such amazing girls, I competed in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011. It wasn't until this year, 2012, that I finally won the title of National American Miss, Miss California. This pageant system played a huge role in the woman I am today, and I am so thankful to everyone I have met and experienced this amazing journey with! Thank you Nam Megan-Brian Cournoyer for absolutely everything, you two are one of the main reasons I came back to NAM all of those years. This 2012... I accomplished one of my dreams, becoming your National American Miss, Miss California. 2012 is a year that I will never forget. ~Alix B.

Dec 27 - I LOVE NAM! ~Margaret T.

Oct 29 - I couldn't be more proud of my niece when her name was called as 2nd runner up in the miss indiana princess division her first year, I see great things in her future ahead. I love you so much Ciara, you are the best niece ever! ~Jeanie L.

Oct 23 - I really love all of the new things that you all are doing this year. It's the little things that make NAM such an amazing pageant system, and I'm so glad I am a California NAM girl. ~Raven D.

Oct 5 - Thank you for the wonderful experience! I had a blast learning knew things and meeting new people. I look forward to joining again this summer, and having some friends join as well. ~Emily S.

Oct 2 - Hi Megan and Brian, just wanna let you guys know even though I haven't competed in two years! I still use everything I learn from you guys in my everyday life! Thank you so much. XOXO ~Bethlehem A.

Sept 24 - I LOVE the photos you posted volunteering. Thank you as I am so proud of you. Love Dad ~Nelson V.

Sept 20 - looking through my album from #NAMnationals 2010 and it makes me so excited for what is ahead!!! can't wait to be with my NAMily and the place where dreams come true ♥ 2 months 1 day and 6 hours, but who's counting ;) ~McKenzie S.

Sept 11 - I could not have chosen a better pageant to kick off my NAM summer tour! I loved meeting all the new amazing girls, catching up with my sister queens, and representing Illinois. I left pageant weekend so happy! Thank you for all the time, effort, and love you put into the enjoyable pageant weekend. ~Isabelle H.

July 12 - What a great experience this weekend was! So grateful to GOD for NAM and our great friends we have made there. NAM Rocks!! ~ Jacqueline H.

NAM: Interview with National Queen, Bishara Dorre

NAM: Interview with Miss California and her Father

Megan's Article in Pageantry Magazine

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Is National American Miss a SCAM?

For girls that are new to our program this is one of the most common first questions. Any why shouldn't it be?! It is important to do your homework before signing up for any organization and I'm always thankful when people ask us if NAM is a SCAM.

I like it because we can give such a great answer! Our A+ rating with the BBB and the 30 year history we have of producing quality shows across the country is just the beginning. But don't take it from me, here is an updated list of people posting this question on the web and the answers they receive from other girls: